Greetings!
Another season of touring is coming to a close for us and we
know that the chance of publishing a new Buzz is slim when we get home in the
summer. Therefore, we offer you this update from our final days in Albuquerque.
We have played several Native flute concerts in town, strummed ukuleles at two
open mics, shivered in icy winds and basked in warm sunshine. All in all, this
past month has been a delightful springtime episode in our travels. Thanks for
sharing the BusRoads adventure and keep in touch! ~
Brian and Andi
Wish You Were Here
This should actually be called “Wish You Were THERE,”
because although we are not there yet, we are headed for one of our Happy Places. We offer you Moab, Utah, where we have
never had a bad time. In a pair of weeks we will arrive at a small town with an
active ambiance, full of young thrill-seekers, free-thinking locals, sandal-ed
tourists and top-notch festivals. Tucked along the Colorado River between
amazing red mountainsides, Moab’s main drag caters to buyers seeking anything from
Native American jewelry to tee shirts dyed rusty red in the area’s local dirt.
Restaurants, microbreweries and coffee shops abound, as do rental shops for
mountain bikes and jeeps. Turn off the main street and you will find peaceful
sidewalks, thrift stores, small tidy houses, and a terrific library. Each year
the town hosts the April Action Auto Show, where countless beautiful classic
cars cruise the strip and are showcased in the city park. Our schedule just happens
to have us passing through Moab during the car show weekend (again) – imagine that?!
Life on Road
A tremendous flurry of activity ensues when we have spent a
month in the easy comfort of a city and are about to embark on a camping
adventure away from the niceties of electricity, running water, gas stations
and mega-grocery stores. Such is our current state as we prepare to leave
Albuquerque for the wilds of New Mexico. True, we are going to a campground,
but there is little surrounding El Morro National Monument other than what you
bring yourself. So we find ourselves filling the propane tank, changing the motor
oil, stocking up on food stuffs, buying gasoline, giving each other haircuts,
filing our taxes and generally taking advantage of main stream amenities. As
hard as it is to say goodbye to Kirtland Air Force Base, Trader Joe’s, daily
showers and TV, we are excited to be heading for hiking trails, calling ravens,
simple entertainments and the kind peace to be found when you are living closer
to nature.Coffee Chat
On military bases, there are likely to be bugle
calls broadcast on loudspeakers at certain times during the day. Here at the Air Force base in Albuquerque,
reveille is at 0700 and colors is at 1700. In the dark of the evening comes our favorite, because taps at 2200 is always accompanied by the mournful howling of a particular local hound.
Did you Know
The Colorado Plateau, a region of high desert centering
around the Four Corners junction of Arizona, Utah, New Mexico and Colorado,
covers 130,000 square miles. It encompasses 10 National Parks and 17 National
Monuments – the greatest concentration in the US. Moab lies near the middle of
this colorful rocky realm of red, yellow, vermilion, white, tangerine, purple,
gold, and even green. In an unbelievable display, the stone of the Colorado
Plateau has been sculpted by wind and water into a fantastic wonderland of arches,
canyons, pillars, domes and natural bridges.Moab’s April Action Auto Show
